VIDEO: Samuel L. Jackson Returns as New York’s Smoothest Private Eye in First Trailer for ‘Shaft’ Sequel
June film co-stars Jessie T. Usher and Richard Roundtree, who portrayed the original Shaft
February 7, 2019
Samuel L. Jackson returns as the world’s smoothest private detective in the first trailer for the upcoming action-crime film “Shaft,” a sequel to his 2000 installment of the same name.
The Oscar-nominated actor and repeat Stern Show guest once again stars as John Shaft II, nephew to the legendary John Shaft (Richard Roundtree), who famously kicked bad guys’ butts from beneath a stylish trench coat back in the early 1970s. In this latest case, Shaft II teams up with his estranged son John “JJ” Shaft Jr. (Jessie T. Usher)—an F.B.I. analyst with book smarts aplenty but unwise to the way of the streets. The unlikely duo starts off investigating a mysterious death but seemingly ends up taking on every Harlem hoodlum who gets in their way.
“He thinks he’s the black James Bond,” JJ says of the elder Shaft at one point.
“If that dude was real, he’d think he was me,” Jackson’s Shaft responds.
The two ultimately enlist the help of the original Shaft (Roundtree), who remains a capable bareknuckle brawler in his old age but keeps an arsenal of firearms for special occasions. “You can’t be too prepared,” he tells his grandson JJ while showing off his assortment of guns.
“Shaft,” co-starring Regina Hall, Alexandra Shipp, and Method Man, opens June 14.
